Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 17 The Fourth Brother as a Shield
Zhu Di's great-grandson.

That was really vulgar!

The appearance of these four words was nothing short of an insult to Zhu Di.

Although I really don't want to admit that Zhu Qizhen is my great-grandson, that's the truth.

He was filled with disappointment towards Zhu Qizhen.

The only pity is that Tianmu didn't tell him how the fourth brother governed the country.

Otherwise, he could have studied it.

Zhu Di even had a bold idea in his mind: since there was a lack of a regent, why not let the fourth prince directly act as regent, so that he could learn from him?

But Zhu Di still had some concerns.

After all, the current fourth brother doesn't seem very reliable no matter how you look at it.

Contrary to what Tianmu said, the emperor who drew his bow and nocked an arrow was not the same person at all.

And who exactly is this Minister of War?

Although he had never met him, Zhu Di could tell from just a few words that this person must be a man of great talent.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Holy Grandson have arrived."

A eunuch's voice came from outside, and Zhu Di's brows furrowed immediately. He roared, "Let that little brat Zhu Zhanji in! The eldest son kneels outside!"

Zhu Gaochi's plump body trembled involuntarily, and his previous smiling demeanor was long gone.

But she could only watch as her son went inside.

His eyes were filled with worry.

I don't know how to protect Zhu Zhanji.

Soon the second and third sons also arrived at the palace gate, and were ordered to kneel in front of the gate as well.

The three of them have been kneeling since they were children.

This was just an ordinary meal; what they were afraid of was not knowing what the old man was really thinking.

Despite the magnitude of the event, the old man did not show up; he simply took Zhu Zhanji inside.

But outside the palace, no sound could be heard from inside.

The three of them were unable to overcome their inner fear, and none of them dared to make a move; they could only kneel.

Until they saw the fourth brother, Zhu Gaoshuo, appear.

Fatty struggled to his feet and excitedly grabbed Zhu Gaoshuo's hand, "Fourth brother, you're finally here! We've been waiting for you!"

The second brother, Zhu Gaoxu, also rushed forward and pushed the eldest brother aside, looking at Zhu Gaoshuo with a smile, and said:
"Fourth brother, what do you think Dad is thinking right now?"

???

Zhu Gaoshuo was speechless.

He can't read minds, so how could he possibly know what the old man is thinking?

However, he had long wondered what Zhu Di's reaction would be when he learned of Zhu Qizhen's Tumu Crisis.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity has actually come today.

"Didn't Father look for us? Why don't we go in?"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoshuo was about to walk towards his bedchamber.

Upon hearing this, the three men were greatly alarmed.

Especially Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Han, who prided himself on his bravery and showed no fear in the face of thousands of troops on the battlefield.

Even so, he dared not provoke the old man in his anger.

The fourth brother even dared to swagger in.

But soon Zhu Gaoxu became even more depressed.

Previously, when the old man summoned them, they were inexplicably forced to kneel down.

Both rebelled, but he was stripped of his military power. What about the fourth prince?
Sitting there being praised by the old man, he looked as if he wanted to drag his sons down to kneel before Zhu Gaoshuo: "This humble subject, Zhu Di, along with his three sons, pays homage to the Emperor of a Thousand Ages!"

Both are biological sons.

Why are they being treated differently?
He was an extraordinary emperor throughout history.

Zhu Gaoshuo was naturally unaware of the second son's complaints.

He simply felt that Zhu Gaoxu was afraid of the old man, and thus asked with a puzzled expression:

"Zhu Qizhen is neither my son nor my grandson, why wouldn't I dare to go in?"

"Yes, I did rebel, and that Zhu Qizhen almost caused the Ming Dynasty to be destroyed."

A glint of light returned to Zhu Gaoxu's eyes.

The old man simply doesn't have time to pay attention to him right now.

There is something more serious than rebellion now.

The eldest brother, Zhu Gaochi, immediately panicked and quickly covered his mouth, saying, "Don't talk about such embarrassing things anymore. If the old man hears us, he'll beat us again." The second brother also realized what was happening and quickly shut up.

Glancing at the expression on the Prince of Han's face, Zhu Gaochi said with a smile, "Zhanji is your nephew after all, so you'll have to put in a good word for him later."

"Speak? Speak my ass!"

Zhu Gaoxu said angrily, "You heard what was said in the sky. I was burned alive by him, the third brother was imprisoned, and if the fourth brother hadn't been so capable, he would have died in Ganzhou long ago!"

“My dear nephew, your good son, I want to see how he will face the old man after what he has done.”

Seeing that he couldn't rely on his second brother, Zhu Gaochi cautiously looked at Zhu Gaoshuo and said, "Fourth brother, you have to help me out."

Zhu Gaoshuo thought to himself, "How can I help?"
I just want to go to my fiefdom in peace now.

But before he could reply...

The third brother suddenly interrupted, saying sarcastically, "If you want to save your nephew now, either bring our mother back to life, or get the old man's mother to come forward."

Zhu Gaochi was speechless after being rebuked.

Zhu Gaoshuo, however, seemed to be deep in thought.

He had heard that Zhu Di was not born to Empress Ma.

Of course, he didn't believe such unofficial historical accounts.

The reason is simple: Fang Xiaoru used all sorts of nasty things to criticize Zhu Di back then.

But he never mentioned that his bloodline was impure.

"No, I have to go in and take a look."

There was no movement in the palace, and Zhu Gaochi could no longer sit still.

We were about to rush in.

But then, someone came out of the palace.

The newcomer looked old, but was in high spirits; they all knew him.

Wang Zhong, a veteran eunuch who served three emperors, not only witnessed Zhu Yuanzhang's purge of powerful officials but also Zhu Yunwen's escape. He ultimately survived the famous "Jingnan Campaign" and became the most loyal eunuch by Zhu Di's side.

Wang Zhong came out to relay the old man's instructions, telling them to go inside.

They had all said they weren't afraid, but when Zhu Di actually summoned them, they were still uneasy.

"Father, you really won't blame me for rebelling, will you?"

The second brother, Zhu Gaoxu, walked quickly to the door, but suddenly stopped. After hesitating for a long time, he turned around and walked behind the eldest brother, then grabbed his clothes.

The eldest son is tough and resilient, and since his family made the biggest mistake, he's the most suitable person to stand in front of them.

The third brother had the same idea and turned around to grab the second brother's clothes.

Zhu Gaochi became anxious upon seeing this.

If the old man had seen his fat face first, his son would have been dead.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Gaochi and immediately had an idea, then grabbed the fourth brother's clothes tightly.

"Hey guys, are you kidding me?"

Zhu Gaoshuo was not afraid at first, but now that he had become the one to stick his neck out, he felt a chill run down his spine and was somewhat afraid.

The second brother also felt that Zhu Gaoshuo being the first to leave was the right thing to do.

"Fourth brother, you are a great emperor throughout the ages, the savior of the Ming Dynasty. The old man wouldn't dare to do anything to you."

The third brother chimed in, "Thank you, fourth brother. You saved me once in the future, so save me once more today!"

Zhu Gaoshuo felt increasingly uneasy and quickly tried to shake himself off.

"I'm the fourth child, I should be at the very back."

As a result, he was tightly gripped by the eldest brother's fat hand.

"It's most fitting for the fourth brother to meet the fourth brother."

Zhu Gaoshuo couldn't break free and entered the palace, only to find that the old man didn't seem to be angry at all; he was just sitting there reading.

Zhu Zhanji knelt in front of him, and upon closer inspection, there was a large handprint on his face.

Zhu Di looked up and saw the men's appearance. He was furious and threw the book in his hand at them.

Although Zhu Di threw the book, he didn't aim it at the people; instead, it flew over their heads and landed on the ground.

Zhu Gaoshuo breathed a long sigh of relief.

I almost got hit.

The second and third sons were glad they were smart; thankfully, the fourth son went first, otherwise their father would have definitely hit them in the face.

Zhu Gaochi immediately looked at his son and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhu Zhanji had only been slapped.

As long as I'm not beheaded, that's fine.

Before he could react, Zhu Di dragged his long sword to Zhu Zhanji's neck, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

(End of this chapter)